Cain Velasquez was an easy guy to root for when he was fighting in MMA. It wasn’t just because of how he fought, though he ranks among the best heavyweights to ever do it.
It was because of how he lived.
He was a kind and decent man. Humble. A man who risked his body in the Octagon to build a better life for his family.
And it was that love for his family that altered his life forever.
Imagine the horror Velasquez felt in 2022 when he learned that Harry Goularte was accused of sexually molesting his son at a daycare run by Goularte’s mother.
We could all share his rage. We could all understand his desire for revenge. Who among us wouldn’t feel the same?
Sexually molesting a child is one of the most despicable crimes a person can commit. It makes your skin crawl just to think about it.
Velasquez couldn’t contain his rage. After a lengthy high-speed chase, he fired a shot into a car Goularte was in. The bullet struck Goularte’s stepfather in the arm.
He was a father who desperately loved his son, a man consumed by fury fueled by the heinous nature of the crime, who reacted.
But love, when overrun by anger and a deep-seated desire for revenge, can transform a hero into something unrecognizable.
And for that, Velasquez will pay. Severely.
Many will argue, passionately and understandably, that Velasquez should have received credit for time served and no additional jail time.
Prosecutors had sought 30 years to life. But on Monday, in Santa Clara County Court in San Jose, Judge Arthur Bocanegra sentenced him to five years in prison, followed by four years of supervised probation.
As much as it’s easy to empathize with Velasquez — and to be outraged by Goularte’s alleged actions — vigilante justice simply cannot be permitted.
The implications of what Velasquez did are severe. A high-speed chase on a crowded freeway endangered countless lives and could have ended in a tragedy of epic proportions.
Few would have been sympathetic had the alleged offender been struck by Velasquez’s bullet.
But even Velasquez realized what he’d done went too far.
He spoke candidly about it with former teammate Kyle Kingsbury on Kingsbury’s podcast:
“The way that I handled things, that was not the way to do it,” Velasquez said. “We cannot put the law in our own hands.”
Had things gone differently, this could have been a story about more than one innocent victim. The fallout could have included death, destruction, or a multi-car tragedy. The fact that no one else was hurt is, frankly, the only good thing that came out of this horrific story.
Goularte’s stepfather, though, is a victim. He was hit in the arm by the bullet intended for Goularte, and he suffers as a result.
Prosecutors sought a stiff penalty because Velasquez had apparently searched the internet about what kind of sentence he might receive if he acted. That, they argued, was proof of premeditation.
He’d searched for ‘sexual assault case where victim’s family fights back,’ and ‘sexual assault cases where victim’s family retaliates.’
Let’s be honest: it probably was premeditated. Hell, it almost certainly was. The searches are evidence that he knew there would be a price to pay if he acted.
But again, imagine hearing that kind of news about your four-year-old child. What would you do? You might slam your fist on a table, punch or kick a hole in a wall, break whatever’s near you. Blinded by rage, not much would be surprising in that moment.
But the one thing you can’t do is exactly what Velasquez did. He acted on impulse. He let his rage dictate his actions.
And the implications of what he did are huge, not only in terms of potential harm to innocent lives, but in the message it sends about how justice should be served.
Our justice system is far from perfect. We’re reminded of that nearly every day. But flaws and all, it’s still the best system ever designed.
President Abraham Lincoln once said, “At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice, he is the worst.”
Goularte is scheduled to stand trial on June 2. A Santa Clara County jury — not a grieving and outraged father — will decide his guilt and, if guilty, his fate.
That’s how our system works. It’s how it must work. It’s based on the most essential principle of all: The accused are innocent until proven guilty.
Velasquez tried to serve as judge, jury and executioner, and he’s going to pay for that.
Velasquez has no prior criminal record. Bocanegra acknowledged the human complexities of the case when he said in open court, “This is a tragic case. Mr. Velasquez is not a danger to public safety.”
Had the judge let Velasquez off with no punishment, it would have sent a message that endorsed vigilantism and taking the law into one’s hands. If Goularte is ultimately found innocent, Velasquez’s actions become not just wrong, but catastrophically misguided.
Our system is designed to protect all, including those accused of committing a monstrous crime, because no one is guilty until a jury hears evidence and votes.
It’s a terribly sad day to see a good, kind man go to jail for trying to protect his innocent young son. It’s infuriating to think of the horrors a four-year-old was forced to endure.
Velasquez acted in a moment of rage that we can all understand. Now, though, his children will tragically have to live without him for several years.
He’s a good man and this conviction and prison sentence doesn’t change that. His actions don’t make him less of a man. This case makes painfully clear that justice, even when tested by rage, must still be delivered through law, not vengeance.